test blog 5

From today's press conference, in the Toronto Star :

A few days ago, Krista Ford, daughter and niece, respectively, of Toronto City Councillor Doug Ford and Mayor Rob Ford, ignited a firestorm of anger and protest. Moments after Toronto police held a news conference warning women about a series of sexual assaults, she tweeted this: Stay alert, walk tall, carry mace, take self-defence classes & don’t dress like a whore. She has since issued one of those conditional statements meant to substitute for an actual apology and deleted the tweet. I didn’t mean to cause such an alarm and I apologize if I did. I just want women to be safe. Krista Ford, the problem with your tweet was not the alarm it caused. It's not that you said that women can avoid rape by dressing a certain way. It's that you apparently believe it. Many women do. It's the illusion of safety many of us use to exist in the world. If we don't do any of those things that cause women to get raped, we won't be raped. There. Now we can put aside this most pri...

Please attend an emergency community meeting to support U.S. war resister Kimberly Rivera and her family! WHEN: Wednesday, September 5, 7:00 PM WHERE: Parkdale United Church, 171 Dunn Avenue, Toronto WHY: STOP THE DEPORTATIONS! When Kimberly Rivera saw with her own eyes the devastation of war, and the trauma it inflicts on children and families, she followed her conscience and refused to go back. Instead, she and her husband and their (then) two children came to Canada. Since that day in 2007, the Riveras have been fighting to live their lives in peace. But despite the widespread support of the Canadian people for U.S. war resisters, and despite two votes in Parliament calling on the government to let war resisters stay, the Harper Government continues to target war resisters for deportation. Kim and her family - which now includes two children born in Canada - now face deportation on September 20. In the U.S., Kim faces court martial, jail time, and a felony conviction that will...

Canada Border Services Agency has declared that Iraq War resister Kimberly Rivera and her family must return to the United States by September 20. Rivera came to Canada in 2007 to avoid re-deployment to Iraq. She currently lives in Toronto with her husband and four children. If she returns to the United States, Rivera will likely face a court martial and significant jail time, as well as a felony conviction. An emergency community meeting has been scheduled for next Wednesday, September 5, at the Parkdale United Church, 171 Dunn Avenue. More details to come.

After a period of calm in the cases of U.S. Iraq War resisters, things are quickly coming to a head. War resister Kimberly Rivera and her family will receive a decision in their case in a few days and they face imminent deportation to the United States. Another war resister has been told to complete all of the submissions for his case by September 20 and to expect a decision shortly afterwards. Many other resisters are awaiting decisions on Humanitarian & Compassionate applications or spousal sponsorships. It appears that these decisions will now start coming in quickly. The War Resisters Support Campaign is appealing to you for urgent financial help to assist with this crucial phase of the fight to win asylum for war resisters. In spite of two motions passed in the House of Commons calling on the government to allow war resisters to stay in Canada, thousands of letters and petitions, and support across the country for war resisters, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Immigration Mi...

Revolutionary thought of the day: A voice cried out, I was killed in Maryland in 1877 When the railroad workers made their stand Well, I was killed in 1963 one sunday morning in Birmingham Well, I died last year crossing the southern desert My children left behind in San Pablo Well they left our bodies here to rot Oh please let them know We are alive Oh, and though we lie alone here in the dark Our souls will rise to carry the fire and light the spark To fight shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart Bruce Springsteen "We Are Alive"

On Friday night in Toronto, Bruce Springsteen led the born-again E Street Band and his faithful flock in a rock-and-roll revival meeting. There was soulful rhythm-and-blues, and there was hard-charging guitar rock. There was political anger and there were elegies for lost friends. There was the wonder of mortality and the sheer joy of being alive. There was an intimate lullaby and a rocking house party. I've been trying to recall every Springsteen concert I've seen, and I've come to the conclusion this was the best show I've seen since the late 1970s.* It was a night that made you shake your head in wonder. When I saw Springsteen as a teenager, we'd leave the concerts sweating and exhausted, and say, If we're this tired, how does he do it, night after night? Here we are 35 years later, asking the same question! At 62 years old, Bruce doesn't try to imitate his younger incarnation - he's not running around the stage nonstop, climbing amps, and dancing on...